As summer begins to dissipate and thoughts turn once again to fall we find the Muluk (Water) trecena coming into place to help with the transition. Pushed forward by the generative energy of water, the source of life, this is a time frame that can be both stimulating and cleansing, holding the potential to shape or change the world. Coming in on the heels of 13 Lamat, which has just brought a typhoon to Japan and has three hurricanes threatening various coastal regions of the U.S., the beginning of this trecena is going to be very wet and windy for many. Hawaii, in particular, in going to have to brace itself as back-to-back hurricanes are heading in that direction.

Despite all this, this watery time period has as its patron the “jewelled” turkey, symbolic of abundance, an energy that has been know to open the door to many new and exciting possibilities. This is an energy frame that can trigger major shifts in direction, as is likely at this time, given the strong forces in play at the moment. Last December it was within the context of this trecena that the U.S. Congress passed its far-reaching $1.15 trillion spending bill to fund the government through to this September, on the same day as the UN Security Council unanimously approved a resolution to adopt a cease fire plan for Syria. This took place at the same time as the first planeloads of Syrian refugees were being welcomed into Canada.

Last December the first day of this trecena coincided with the release of the final report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission related to the dreadful residential school legacy in Canada, which provided the foundation for the signing of an historic pact to advance indigenous education, the first Indigenous Education Blueprint, by Manitoba universities, colleges, and public schools – a major development for Canada’s indigenous nations. This signing took place on the fourth day of this time frame, on the day called 4 Eb’, representative of a solar force in combination with Eb’s “animating vitality”, which can create an uplifting, refreshing type of energy marked by a sense of the opening up of new possibilities.

This was certainly felt in June of 1965 when the first spacewalk occurred on 4 Eb’, this fourth day, and again when the “Earthrise” photo was taken from Apollo 8 on 4 Eb’ in 1968, the iconic first photograph taken by a human of Earth from Deep Space. This also was the energy in place in 2008 when Barack Obama became the first African-American to win the U.S. presidential election. Two cycles ago this same energy brought the announcement by President Obama that agreement had been reached on the framework for an historic nuclear reduction agreement with Iran, which was seen as a significant political breakthrough, the most important foreign relations negotiation of the Obama presidency up to that point.

Indeed, significant change and shape-shifting is often engendered during this trecena as a whole, as seen in the context of a number of monumental events that have been shaped by these forces. These have included the Black Tuesday crash of the New York stock exchange in 1929, King Edward VIII’s abdication of the English throne in 1936, the beginning of the Battle of Britain in 1940, the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, India’s declaration of independence in 1947, the invasion of South Korea by North Korea in 1950, the Detroit race riots in 1967, and the beginning of action on the implementation of the Global Accord on Climate Change by 196 nations during the last appearance of this trecena, last December.

Sometimes the “generative vitality” of these forces can be quite dramatic, as seen in 2013 when bolts of lightning struck the Vatican just hours after Pope Benedict XVI shocked the world by announcing his resignation. During its last appearance this trecena picked up a lot of steam during its last four days, bringing not only severe thunderstorms, but a massive tornado outbreak to the southern U.S. that destroyed or damaged hundreds of homes and caused significant travel disruptions. Christmas day (on 11 Kawak – “storm”) was particularly intense as the U.K. was hit by severe flooding and vast areas in South America suffered some of the worst inundations in 50 years. At the same time there were catastrophic wildfires in South Australia as well as in Ventura County, California. Given the extremely challenging fire season that continues to rage in California at the present time, with more than 10,000 firefighters battling a number of ferocious blazes, an intense water blessing in that region would be highly welcomed.

While rain is by no means guaranteed there are many things to look forward to at this time, with many important events coming up as September gets underway.

The energies of this trecena will likely add extra vitality to events at this time, as these are very creative, “electricity-oriented” forces that can spark life and have profound influence. Again this would be a good time to “go with the flow” and allow for purification and refreshment, whenever possible. Also a good time to think about ways in which you might co-create with this energy as it brings forth inevitable change. During this watery, shapeshifting, purifying – and sometimes electrifying – time frame these are the energies that will come into play:

1 Muluk (Aug. 31st) – “the initiation of water”, a kind of “double water” day associated with the Moon Goddess (symbolic of the Number One) in conjunction with the refreshing, shape-shifting energy of water; an important 52-day Shift-point within the 260-day cycle, this time bringing in the shift from the end of summer vacation period to the start of the school year. As this trecena begins back-to-back hurricanes are heading towards Hawaii and tropical storm warnings are in place for parts of the east coast.

2 Ok (Sept. 1st) – a dynamic yin/yang type of force relating to love, warmth, guidance, and loyalty (associated with the Maya glyph for Dog), this time in conjunction with the New Moon and an Annular Solar Eclipse at the beginning of National Guide Dog month in the U.S.

3 Chuwen (Sept. 2) – the “activation” of creativity; an important “time-weaving” type of energy that can often bring forth powerful shifts. Maya birth energy of the brilliant English scientist Michael Faraday, who so significantly contributed to the creation of electric motor technology through his work with electricity and electromagnetism, forces that are directly in keeping with the nature of this particular Maya day. The 225th anniversary of his birth will be celebrated on Sept. 22nd.

4 Eb’ (Sept. 3rd) – the “defining of animating vitality”; an uplifting, refreshing type of energy that often brings a sense of new possibilities – often significantly eventful

5 Ben (Sept. 4th) – the “blessing of personal authority”, this time in conjunction with the start of the 11th G-20 summit, being held at this time in Hangzhou, China – the first to be hosted in China. For the fortunate people of Holland this day marks the 80th anniversary of the Bloemencorso van Zundert flower float parade, one of the most spectacular parades in the world. This is also the day when Pope Francis will canonize Mother Theresa.

6 Ix (Sept. 5th) – the energy of the six directions in conjunction with the jaguar (and Jaguar Warrior) and the fate of the earth, on a day that coincides with Labour Day and the start of the highly anticipated Ganesh Chaturthi festival, a popular Hindu festival in honour of Lord Ganesha, the remover of obstacles, giver of good fortune, and Lord of New Beginnings, that spans 11 days. This also marks the conclusion of this year’s Burning Man festival in Nevada (Click here for photos from last year, click here for one of this year’s installations)

7 Men (Sept. 6th) – a “self-generating” type of energy associated with the Eagle’s “higher vision”. Maya birth energy of the publication of the best-selling children’s novel The Neverending Story in 1979, exactly 52 cycles ago. The novel sold millions of copies world-wide. Five days ago this accomplishment was honoured with a Google Doodle.

8 Kib’ (Sept. 7th) – the “resurrection” of the transmutation oriented force that can lead towards the restoration of order, this time in conjunction with the opening of the Paralympic Games in Brazil

9 Kab’an (Sept. 8th) – representative of “outwardly-projecting” longevity in connection with the earth and evolutionary movement, an energy that coincides at this time with the 50th anniversary of the first airing of the legendary Star Trek television series. On this day, when there is a conjunction between the Moon and Saturn,  NASA will launch the OSIRIS-Rex mission to retrieve samples from the asteroid Bennu.

10 Etz’nab ’ (Sept. 9th) – foundational “flint”; a sparkling, “knife-edged” type of energy that can either dazzle or divide and separate, this time in conjunction with the beginning of the Hajj, the Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca. (Last year at this time there was a dreadful accident where over 100 were killed and hundreds injured when a huge crane collapsed into the Grand Mosque.) Opening day of the “50 Year Mission Tour” celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Star Trek.

11 Kawak (Sept. 10th) – inspirational “storm of compassion”, this time in conjunction with the 20th anniversary of the adoption by the U.N. General Assembly of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty. The day when the state of emergency (from the floods) is scheduled to be lifted in Louisiana.

12 Ajaw (Sept. 11th) – a “gathering together” force aligned with the full sun, this time in conjunction with Patriot’s Day in the U.S. and the 15th anniversary of the 9-11 event. The 30th anniversary release date of Labyrinth to select theatres in the U.S. Last day of the “50 Year Mission Tour” celebrating Star Trek’s 50th anniversary.

13 Imix (Sept. 12th) – “transformational birth”, another force that can be highly intense, this time coinciding with the planned halt to all conflict in Syria as the new peace plan that was just brokered takes effect. Under this influence in April of last year President Obama met with Cuba’s President Raul Castro, in the first formal talks between the leaders of these countries in half a century, marking a dramatic “thawing out” in US-Cuba relations. Maya birth energy of the talented Barry Blitt, the cartoonist who often creates eye catching covers for New Yorker magazine. Also the Maya birth energy of Claude Shannon, the mathematician, electrical engineer, and cryptographer who was known as the “father of information theory”, so critical to communications in today’s world. He would have celebrated his 100th birthday in April of this year.

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[Please note that the brief descriptions of the days provided above are only “thumbnail sketches”. Much greater detail can be found in Manual for the Soul: A Guide to the Energies of Life.]